CNI Distribution began in 1990 under the leadership of Christian industry veterans Ed Clydesdale, Ronnie Smith and Ron Coker to provide assistance to independent Christian production companies and ministries in securing National distribution to the retail, church and consumer-direct markets. By consolidating the services, systems and collection efforts of each company, CNI has amassed a network of sales, marketing and distribution that remains unparalleled in contemporary Christian retailing.
With initial total sales of just over $500,000 in 1991, CNI anticipates one of its largest years to date supporting annual Publisher retail sales exceeding $100,000,000. Having gained the respect of the national publishing community as well as the rapidly expanding international industry, CNI remains positioned and poised for dramatic growth. The company has averaged double-digit growth each year since its inception while continuing to remain profitable and debt-free. This strong financial management has allowed the company to continue to develop state-of-the-art technology services and many proprietary systems that provide for the company's consistent growth.
Over
the last several years CNI has worked diligently to develop its service
quality and reputation, as well as the first and second phases of its own
100,000+ square foot office/warehouse complex located on 14 acres in Nashville,
Tennessee. This centralized location serves their client base extremely
well because it provides the ability to ship orders to over 70% of the
USA
population (located within 750 miles) within a standard 1-2 day shipping
time. This facility, coupled with innovative leadership and financial strength,
has allowed CNI to develop highly accurate paperless order picking systems,
fully automated conveyor and bar-code scanning systems, as well as its
own
"Pick-to-Light-and-Voice" responsive system. This proprietary
innovation allows the operator to pull product orders rapidly through interactive
computer voice communication that CNI developed completely in-house. This
cutting-edge technology has increased efficiency and productivity by nearly
400% in just a few years. CNI has also created the hardware and software
network to provide each client with online information via the Internet
or EDI access.
Plans for the immediate future include the migration of their latest company
acquisitions, as well as on-going negotiations with several quality Christian
publishers throughout the USA. This coming year will also see the integration
of several direct-to-consumer pick modules specially designed to serve Publishers,
Retailers and Churches. CNI has also recently completed the construction
of phase three of their master building plan which features a 50,000 square
foot high-bay storage center. With these expansions and their latest technological
innovations, CNI will provide some of the most accurate inventory tracking
and fastest order processing capabilities in the market - once again securing
CNI's continued growth well into the next decade.
Despite
the continuing winds of change surrounding much of the Retail and E-Commerce
industries, CNI remains a focused and financially strong company that is
committed to excellence in the contract distribution of Christian products.
CNI's intended purpose is to offer precise and cutting-edge service and
technology that always meets or exceeds expectations. CNI is also proud
to have been the recipient of several business awards during the past several
years, including...induction into the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
"Future 50" Hall of Fame, and the "Small Business
of the Year" award
from the Nashville Business Journal. These awards are more than recognition
to CNI; they are
a re-affirmation of its desire for excellence in service. The same excellence
they provided in the past CNI continues to strive to accomplish in the
future,
treating all distributed companies as if they were its own.
Currently servicing over 10,000 individual products and a variety of companies under exclusive contract, CNI has become one of the largest independent distributors in, what the New York Times has labeled"...one of the fastest growing industries in the Nation...Contemporary Christian Retailing."
For more information, call 615-641-5550 or email to comments@cnidist.com.